Date: March 31, 2004Subject: Petition Presented to Minnesota Senate

(ST. PAUL, MN) A petition to confirm Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D., as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education was presented to Sen. Steve Kelley, chair of the Senate Education Committee today.

The petition contains 541 signatures collected online, plus an additional 125 signatures collected on paper forms. The signatures were collected from March 5 to March 26 with the signer's home address for verifiability. The online petition is still collecting signatures at http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/confirm_yecke.

Citizens from across the state signed the petition. Of those who specified an occupation, the largest number was represented by teachers, educators, and college professors or faculty.

The petition was originated by Matt Abe, editor of the web site Minnesota Education Reform News (http://www.gbronline.com/mnedreform/). Abe is a member of the Academic Standards Committee for social studies.

The text of the petition follows:

Cheri Pierson Yecke brings to the Minnesota Department of Education a twenty-year career of teaching and public service, as a classroom teacher, member of the Virginia Board of Education, Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, a director at the U.S. Department of Education, and senior advisor to the USA Freedom Corps.

Governor Tim Pawlenty brought Dr. Yecke to Minnesota as a “change agent,” to help restore the core academics that were left behind by the Profile of Learning, to refocus her department back on education, and to create tools that would help Minnesotans to better understand school and student performance. Within twelve months of her appointment, she is well on the way to achieving all of these goals.

Dr. Yecke is an outspoken advocate of knowledge-based academic achievement for all, and believes in the greatness of America.

We believe that the Senate should use its advise and consent role to confirm the governor's well-qualified appointees, and allow him to govern as mandated by the voters who elected him.

We believe that Dr. Yecke is clearly well-qualified to serve as Commissioner. We urge the Minnesota Senate to confirm Cheri Pierson Yecke as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education.